Artichoke Tomato And Asiago Focaccia Recipes

ARTICHOKE, TOMATO AND ASIAGO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Scald the milk, and cool to lukewarm, not too hot, or it will kill the yeast (about 100F).
• Mix flour, yeast, oil and milk in a medium bowl, cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle on salt and mix dough in an electric mixer with dough hook on low medium speed, adding flour as needed until it is sticky and stretchy, and comes away from the sides of the bowl. (You can knead by hand, it will just take longer.).
• Let dough rest, covered, 30 minutes, knead again for about 5 minutes. The dough should be very sticky, but hold together in a ball.
• Rinse and drain artichoke hearts, and finely chop.
• Mix artichokes, tomatoes, and cheese, set aside.
• The tomatoes will absorb any excess moisture from artichokes and soften nicely.
• Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Scrape out onto a floured countertop or large cutting board.
• Shape the dough into a rough rectangle.
• Roll with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
• Top roughly 2/3 of the dough with cheese, tomatoes, and artichokes, the mixture should be damp, but not dripping wet.
• Fold dough into thirds, like an envelope, with the empty third over the center, and the other side over that, and roll again gently, until the fillings just begin to be visible through the top of the dough.
• Place dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
• Preheat oven to 450F; let dough rise, loosely covered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy and soft.
• Brush dough with olive oil. Use fingers to make several small dimples in bread.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt, and more cheese if you like.
• Bake for 15 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.

ASIAGO ARTICHOKE DIP

Steps:

• Mash up the artichoke hearts in a bowl along with the minced garlic.
• Add the other ingredients.
• Mix it all together and refrigerate until using.
• All the proportions can be tweaked according to personal preference. You can also serve this recipe hot! The cheese gets all melty and yummy!

CREAMY ARTICHOKE AND ASIAGO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook rotini according to package directions. Keep hot.
• Drain and chop artichoke hearts.
• In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic gently in the olive oil until onion starts to soften.
• Add artichokes. Heat gently, stirring often.
• Add basil and white wine.
• Shake the milk and flour together. Add to pan. Heat, stirring constantly, until simmering and thickened.
• Stir in Asiago and parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Toss pasta in sauce until well-coated. Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper flakes and additional parsley.